Deb Thompson

Blogger, Outlets: Just Short of Crazy.com & WanderlustMoms.com

Deb loves collecting experiences through travel and adventures. She loves whiskey and road trips, but not at the same time. She is living life on her terms. She is Michigan native and life-long resident. Last year she discovered the joys of being a snowbird and now plans to spend all her future winters in warm sunny climates. When she's not traveling you'll find her creating recipes, reading, drinking coffee or planning her next grand adventure.

There is so much to see and do in Lake Charles, LA. There is great weather, gorgeous landscapes, fantastic food, and wonderful places to stay. More importantly there is a fun cajun culture just waiting to be discovered.

It's still early as we board the small boat that will take us out into the marshes. As we move away from the dock we are surrounded by the peacefulness of nature. Before long we start spotting a variety of birds and the shutter noise of cameras breaks the quiet calm. I'm surprised at the number and variety of birds we spot and realize that this is birding in Southwest Louisiana at it's finest.

Along the coast of southwest Louisiana lie 180 miles of wild nature that are perfect for birding, fishing, beach combing and wildlife spotting. Pack your binoculars, camera, sunscreen, and fishing gear because the Creole Nature Trail is waiting to show you the best nature crawl in the state.

Richardson's Family Adventure Park is located in Spring Grove, IL. Farmed since 1840 the Richardson family has continuously adapted and grown to fit the needs of families everywhere. From their beginnings of farming corn and soybeans to adding Christmas trees in the 1990's to now offering one of the best family attractions in the area.

Fall is a great time to visit the Chicago Botanical Gardens. The weather is perfect during this season for strolling around the 26 gardens and four nature areas. The summer colors may be starting to fade, but the gardens are now alive with explosions of fall colors that are just as vibrant as summerís intense blooms. Flowers in bloom right now include mums, lilys, sedums, sweet william, and alumroot.

Small towns around the midwest offer more fun and entertainment than most people realize. Rockford, IL is one of those towns. This town located approximately 90 minutes west of Chicago offers fun activities for the entire family whether you have little ones or teens. Rockford is home to the sock monkey festival, world-class water ski team, music, arts, shopping, museums, outdoor fun and so much more. Rockford will provide your family with big city fun and culture, but with small town cost and ambiance.

Search TMS Mamas & Papas

About Us

TMS Mamas & Papas was created by Travel Media Showcase and TMS Family Travel
Conference. Over the many years of producing travel and tourism events, we have had the honor to feature some of the most talented travel journalists
and bloggers. Thousands of stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers and countless blogs have been posted. Here on our TMS Mamas & Papas site we are
sharing with you a sample of the extraordinary stories and blogs that have been generated over the years from these amazing writers.

If you have attended a TMS event and would like to be featured as a TMS Mama
& Papa, please forward your article/blog link and headshot to TMS@TravelMediaShowcase.com.

Follow Us

TMS Mamas and Papas

TMS Family Travel

Travel Media Showcase

Since its inception in 2007, the Family Travel Forum Teen Travel Writing Scholarship has encouraged literacy among 45,000+ teens competing to win cash stipends for school.
We hope you will join us in the effort to "Help keep teens moving Write along" and grow the next generation of educated travelers!